Gardening as a Family Affair

I have been dreaming of having a vegetable garden for years.  When Keith and I got engaged and I lived with Dave and Jill I tried to grow some herbs from seeds on her front windowsill.  no luck.  Then I tried (weakly) to grow some tomatoes in containers on our apartment balconies.  no luck.  We have been fortunate to live quite close to community garden plots and I had visions of getting a plot and going there with my kids to weed and water.  The reality of being pregnant with an under 2 year-old and then having two under 3-year-olds was enough to smack that vision out of me.

But now we're at Matthew House and the kids are a wee bit older and the gardens are quite literally in our back yard.  We have been trying to establish the "Garden Golden Rules" such as "The dirt must stay in our own rectangle" and "Do not touch the other rectangles." etc.

I am really looking forward to this initial year of sticking seeds in the ground and waiting until little green heads pop up.  It is always a bit nerve-wracking trying something new that you really want to turn out well.  As we were turning over the garden patch I told Keith that I hoped I would be a good gardener.  "You will be eventually." he replied.  Ah - permission to fail.  It was actually encouraging to me to have this permission since it is quite likely things won't go according to my lofty plans.  He still dug away at the soil knowing the seeds might not yield up their fruit.  So I dug too.  Isaiah made roads in the dirt with his trucks.  Lucy pushed her stroller up and down the footpath.  Even if nothing grows - the time spent together will yield a harvest of joy.